Seven Witnesses and Israel (Hebrews 11:32-38)

(Class Notes)

• Four Witnesses of Faith (Judges)
  • Israel was initially ruled by judges after coming into the inheritance of the land (Judges 2:6-19)
  • The order of witnesses is NOT a chronological sequence, but a two pair arrangement of importance
    • Gideon (Judges 6-7) and Jephtha (Judges 11-12) stand out individually as "mighty men of valor" (Judges 6:12; Judges 11:1)
    • Barak (Judges 4-5) and Samson (Judges 13-16) are both associated with women in connection with their faith - Barak was aided by Deborah (Judges 4:6-9) and Jael (Judges 4:21-22), whereas Samson was betrayed by his wife (Judges 14:15-17) and Delilah (Judges 16:15-18)

• Three Witnesses of Faith (Prophets)
  • After the judges, God sent prophets to Israel (Acts 13:20) whom they persecuted (Acts 7:52) and killed (Matthew 23:37 cf. Revelation 16:6; Revelation 18:24)
  • As in the case of the judges above, the order of witness is NOT a chronological sequence, but an arrangement of importance
    • "David the king" (Matthew 1:6) is paired with the prophets who foretold of the King, David's "righteous Branch", also known as "the Lord our righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
    • Other references to "the Branch" in the prophets:
      • "the Branch of Jehovah" (Isaiah 4:2)
      • "My Servant the Branch" (Zechariah 3:8)
      • "the Man Whose Name is the Branch" (Zechariah 6:12)
    • David was also a prophet who spoke concerning the King that God would raise up to sit on David's throne (Acts 2:29-30)
    • Samuel, who anointed David as king (I Samuel 6:13), stands in the middle as the link between the judges (I Samuel 7:15) and the prophets (Acts 3:24; Acts 13:20)

• Obtain Better Resurrection (They) and Better Thing Provided (Us)
  • Israel's overcomers, BOTH past and future, WILL receive "the promises" together (Hebrews 11:13,35,39-40)

    Study Outline

    Audio Message (Summary)